Model Comparison

Claude 3 Sonnet vs Claude 3 OpusWhich is better in 2026?

Claude 3 Opus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude 3 Sonnet is 5.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude 3 Sonnet vs Claude 3 Opus — which is better?

Claude 3 Sonnet (by Anthropic) and Claude 3 Opus (by Anthropic) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude 3 Opus is better at 11 benchmarks (ARC-C, BIG-Bench Hard, DROP, GPQA, GSM8k, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MATH, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro). Claude 3 Opus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Claude 3 Sonnet is roughly 5.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Claude 3 Sonnet if…

  • cost matters — it's about 5.0x cheaper per token

Choose Claude 3 Opus if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 11 of 11 shared benchmarks
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

11 benchmarks

Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude 3 Opus is better at 11 benchmarks (ARC-C, BIG-Bench Hard, DROP, GPQA, GSM8k, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MATH, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro).

Claude 3 Opus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Claude 3 Sonnet costs less

For input processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus is more expensive than Claude 3 Sonnet.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude 3 Sonnet
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$75.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 200,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude 3 Sonnet
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude 3 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude 3 Sonnet

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude 3 Opus

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Claude 3 Sonnet

Proprietary

Closed source

Claude 3 Opus

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Both models were released on 2024-02-29.

They likely represent similar generations of model development.

Claude 3 Sonnet

Feb 29, 2024

2.3 years ago

Claude 3 Opus

Feb 29, 2024

2.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude 3 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.

Claude 3 Sonnet

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Claude 3 Opus

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Anthropic
Higher ARC-C score (96.4% vs 93.2%)
Higher BIG-Bench Hard score (86.8% vs 82.9%)
Higher DROP score (83.1% vs 78.9%)
Higher GPQA score (50.4% vs 40.4%)
Higher GSM8k score (95.0% vs 92.3%)
Higher HellaSwag score (95.4% vs 89.0%)
Higher HumanEval score (84.9% vs 73.0%)
Higher MATH score (60.1% vs 43.1%)
Higher MGSM score (90.7% vs 83.5%)
Higher MMLU score (86.8% vs 79.0%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (68.5% vs 56.8%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude 3 Sonnet
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus

FAQ

Common questions about Claude 3 Sonnet vs Claude 3 Opus.

Which is better, Claude 3 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?

Claude 3 Opus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude 3 Sonnet is made by Anthropic and Claude 3 Opus is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude 3 Sonnet compare to Claude 3 Opus in benchmarks?

Claude 3 Sonnet scores ARC-C: 93.2%, GSM8k: 92.3%, HellaSwag: 89.0%, MGSM: 83.5%, BIG-Bench Hard: 82.9%. Claude 3 Opus scores ARC-C: 96.4%, HellaSwag: 95.4%, GSM8k: 95.0%, MGSM: 90.7%, BIG-Bench Hard: 86.8%.

Is Claude 3 Sonnet cheaper than Claude 3 Opus?

Claude 3 Sonnet is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude 3 Sonnet costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Claude 3 Opus costs $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for Claude 3 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus?

Claude 3 Sonnet supports 200K tokens and Claude 3 Opus supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude 3 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus?

Key differences include input pricing ($3.00 vs $15.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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